Found out that oak trees drop 10,000 acorns in a single year and it blew my mind

I was reading a forestry extension bulletin from my state conservation office last night while waiting for paint to dry. It said a mature oak can produce over 10,000 acorns in a good mast year. That's like enough to fill a pickup truck bed. I always figured they dropped a lot but not that many. Has anyone here actually tried to count or estimate what a single big oak drops on their property?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmag2223d ago

Hold on, wait, 10,000 acorns from one tree in a single year? That's insane! I've got a huge oak in my backyard and I always thought it was a lot, but I never imagined it was literally a truck-bed full. I tried to count the ones in my driveway once after a windy night, and I gave up after like 200 because my back hurt from bending over. You're telling me that wasn't even a fraction of what that tree dropped? That honestly blows my mind more than it should.

lopez.jana23d ago

Your back hurt from bending over after 200" is such a mood, honestly. I used to think the whole 10,000 acorn thing was some kind of urban legend or a scientist counting every single one under a microscope, not a real backyard reality. But a few years ago I raked my parents' oak and filled like six garbage bags, and I didn't even get half the yard. That's when it clicked for me, that number is actually low for a good year. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around counting them all, but I definitely believe the truck bed comparison now. Your driveway count probably missed like 95% of what actually fell, they just hide in the grass and under leaves like little brown ninjas.